Ark 1 Episode 11: Unlikely Curcumstances
DanteOConnor: It was just another raid… that’s what Gringo kept telling himself inside the hull of the VTOL Warship, nicknamed “Archangel”, they used now that the V-22 Osprey had been considered obsolete. As they made their way over the KasaiHana city skyline towards their objective, his eyes scanned outside the VTOL’s auxiliary window at the lights below them, watching as they passed skyscraper upon skyscraper. He gave a small sigh to himself as he looked across the city. No matter how many times he saw it; there was still something to look at. He broke his gaze away from the sight to look over his equipment before the operation would begin. He wore an advanced pair of ACUs, which had digitalized urban camouflage over his arms and legs. He wore a pair of steel-toed combat boots, and a ballistics vest which depicted their unit’s name across his shoulders, and the KPD logo on his left arm and the collar bone of the front of the vest. On his belt was a simple tactical belt, which contained the essentials, which would be two extra magazines for his handgun, a back-up radio, and a can of mace. He patted the pockets on his vest, revealing two magazines for his rifle in each pocket, which would mean he had six fully loaded magazines overall. After being settled with the check, he grasped his rifle, which was a specialized M4-A1 assault rifle equipped with a suppressor, tactical flashlight/laser sight, and an ACOG sight replacing the traditional iron sight. It also came equipped with a fore-grip for better accuracy and an adjustable stock to range from long to close range encounters. He slid the bolt back to show a full metal jacket 7.62 millimeter round in the chamber. He knew full well with the magazine he was using, there would be 29 more just like it in the magazine just below that very round. He’d release the bolt and let the weapon shut with a loud clack before he would set it off to the side, only after putting the weapon on SAFE. He would then perform the same check with his SiG Sauer P226, checking the chamber to reveal a hollow point .45 caliber round, the magazine for that holding 9 more just like it. He looked across the weapon and gave a small smile, looking across the suppressor on the barrel and then checks to make sure the laser sight, which was green instead of the stock red, was functioning as well. He gave a nod, being satisfied that the weapon was ready to go, slipping the handgun back into the holster on his leg, only to make one final check before the operation would start. He drew the blade from his boot, which resembled a traditional combat knife. It had a serrated back for cutting wire and string, yet the front was as sharp as a razor. He held the blade firmly in his grip, making sure with a couple practice swings that it was ready to go, and as he did so, the blade whipped through the air, the blade itself whistling slightly as the blade literally cut the air. He then slipped the knife back into its sheathe before grasping his rifle, looking out to the city for a moment before a small clear of a throat would cause him to turn, seeing Shade standing there with a small smirk on her face, “Sup, boss?” The red head with slender glasses would take a couple of steps before stating, “Can I sit with you for a second?” Gringo would look over the team’s technical analyst with a quick glance, seeing that she wore a uniform that resembled Gringo’s, but she was not wearing a ballistics vest, or any padding on her elbows and knees. On her right thigh was a holstered Px4 Storm handgun and right above it was a suppressor that remained there, and just behind her glasses were a brilliant pair of emerald green eyes. He would give a small nod as she would take a seat across him, his eyes still peering out the window as he spoke to her, “You know… from up here, this place resembles just how far humanity has come…”, he paused for a moment before continuing with a sarcastic tone, “Yet when you are down there on the streets, you see all it has to offer.” His eyes shifted over to Shade as he gave a small smirk, “And that’s why we’re here… to clean up the mess humanity has gotten itself into.” Shade would nod with a small smile before speaking, “Have you seen what they have said on the news… about District 4?” Gringo would nod once again only to meet his eyes with her own, which seemed to make her swallow lightly, “I have seen the news, but I don’t keep up with it… it’s mainly just propaganda and advertising.” Shade would give a nod before speaking once more, “I can agree with you there, but we both know what could happen if they open that district… right?” Gringo would look towards her in silence before looking out the window once more, “If what is rumor turns out to be true when it comes to District 4, this city might lose all hope.” Shade would nod once again before giving a small smirk, “You seem to know everything, Gringo, yet if you knew everything…” She would pause before she would stand, causing Gringo to look over towards her, “What is it?” She would look back and give a wink before talking in a gentle tone, “Maybe one day you’ll find out. Come on, we got a briefing to get to.” Gringo would look towards her, slightly confused with what she said before standing with his gear, making his way out into the main room. Inside were the two other members of the team. The first he saw was Sledge, his muscularly large and African American teammate. Sledge was… blunt to say the least, and spoke with a deep bass-filled voice. His head was shaved clean, a small shine being seen on the top of his head, and a large scar that went from his temple to his jaw line clearly being seen, just past his silver eyes. On his back he had what was known as a reverberating sledgehammer, which when activated, it would use rapid micro-pulse technology to bust its way through walls, doors, and even skulls, on occasion. In his hands he held his preferred weapon besides the sledgehammer; an LSAT belt fed fully automatic LMG. On his thigh, he adorned a blackened .50 caliber Desert Eagle, and wore the same outfit as Gringo, yet his arms were bare and riddled with tribal tattoos. The second face he would see is Joker. Joker was a quiet one, but always liked to give a smirk whenever he was told to do something, or even talked to in general. His voice sort of reminded Gringo of that one actor from the 21st century… who was that… oh yeah, Keanu Reeves. Thing is, Keanu wasn’t Hispanic, nor did he have scars at the points where his lips met, which made it seem like Joker was always smiling, which was always complimented by his bright blue eyes. He wore the same uniform as Gringo, and his head was shaved with intricate patterns on each side, coming to a point with a street Mohawk. He got those cuts a couple of years ago when Mark Bridges, the 5th member of their team, betrayed them and sold information pertaining to Yakuza operations on the Black Market. Mark was killed when Gringo tracked him down do the outskirts of District 1, spending the money he earned from the secrets in a bar. As the two met eyes, Mark made a run for it, Gringo in close pursuit as they made their way through the alleyways. After a short, yet enduring foot chase, they arrived on a rooftop where the two would then take place in a bout of hand to hand combat. As the fighting led to a billboard’s catwalk, Gringo gained the upper hand on his long term friend and believed he had one the bout, but as he thought this, Mark came at him with his pocket knife, which Gringo swiftly disarmed and then shoved Mark away. As he did this however, Mark had lost his balance and fell to the streets 14 stories below. Gringo was remembering the night vividly as someone shook his shoulder, snapping him back to reality. It was Joker, and his voice caused the final break in the memory before Gringo would hear him, “You okay, boss?” Gringo would nod and look to the others, “Yeah, I’m fine. Listen up, people. We have a raid going on tonight. As you all have read in your mission files, we have tracked down the group of robbers that have been plaguing the outskirts of the city, stealing up to this point about 2 million tanz. What we’re going to do is… acquire it for the sake of KasaiHana.” The others would give a laugh before Gringo would step up to the three dimensional table, bringing up a image of the area they would be raiding, “We’re going to start out about a click and a half away from the primary objective site. Once we arrive, we have two main entrances into the place we have triangulated the robbers to. The first is an individual elevator that is used for visitors and for those coming and going from the hideout, primarily messengers or delivery personnel. The second, which I’m sure you all would love, is maintenance. This consists of a large ramp area that has been closed indefinitely due to “necessary” repairs. The plan I have going on is that Shade provides X-Ray information on the movement and overall pattern of the tangos inside. Sledge, if things go south, I need you on the warship to make sure we get out of here in once piece, ergo, I need you to blow a lot of shit up as soon as I call ‘Plan B.’ Sledge would give a goofy laugh before pounding his fists together, “God damn, I love it when Plan B happens!” The others would chuckle towards his demeanor before Gringo would continue, “Joker, you’re going to be with me on this one. We’re going to break in via the maintenance ramps and slip inside when they’re none the wiser. We need to go sneaky on this one, so we’re going to use the augmented camouflage systems that we received a couple days ago. It is already set into our clothing, so all we have to do is flip a switch and we’re good to go.” Joker would give a nod as he looked to Shade with a teasing smirk, “You really think this ‘inviso-camo’ is going to work, Shade?” She would give a nod before teasing him back, “Only if you can flip a switch, Joker. All you have to do is flip on the generator which contains the battery in the back of your vests. The coating across your clothing is an electrically conductive compound that transitions into a reflective sheen when introduced to a charge. For example:” As she spoke she pressed a switch on the dashboard and the dashboard of the three dimensional image would vanish, as if in the blink of an eye. She would hit the switch again and it would return to where it once was, as if by magic. Joker’s eyes went wide as he gave a warm laugh, “Well, hot damn. That’s some pretty cool shit.” He would hit the small switch on the PDA-like device they all had on their wrists, causing the camouflage to coat his entire person but his head. He would then nod and walk about the room, mimicking a ghostly wail as he did so. Sledge began laughing so hard that he was near the point of tears, as was Shade and Gringo. After they calmed down, Gringo would nod as he slipped his balaclava over his face, and then flip the hood over his head, “Alright, boys and girls. Playtime’s over. He would then slip on his intimidating mask before looking to Joker, “Meet me at the back when you’re prepped, Joker. We’re three minutes out, so make it quick.” As he said this, Joker gathered the rest of his things, which consisted of a black beret with the KPD logo on the front, his own balaclava, and a tactical visor that he slipped onto his features with ease before meeting Gringo at the off ramp. In his hands, he held a suppressed Vector submachine gun, the weapon itself being equipped with a laser sight, EO-Tech sight, and fore-grip. On his leg was a 5-7 pistol with a built-in suppressor and LED tactical flashlight. The two would look each-other over, making sure that they were ready for the operation, only to feel the VTOL enter its hover state. Soon after the change, the back ramp would open to reveal another beautiful shot of the city, a rappel line dropping from the ceiling and making its way down towards the ground. Gringo would pat Joker on the arm before speaking over the roar of the VTOL’s engines, “You first this time! I promise there won’t be cars down there!” Sledge would chime in with an accusatory tone as Gringo nudged Joker to the line, “I heard that, asshole! When you get back, you and I are going toe to toe at the base!” Gringo would give a laugh as he made sure Joker made it to the bottom, only to follow him down as he spoke back to Sledge, “Anytime, destroyer of sedans, any time.” He would then land feet first next to Joker before drawing his rifle, noting that they were now on a rooftop, just according to the plan. He spoke over the radio with a calm, quiet tone, “Clear.” Joker would return the phrase before they would begin making their way from rooftop to rooftop, activating their adaptive camouflage so that they would not be seen by preying eyes. Chairmen Tasanagi: My golden hair was flapping in the wind as I road down the deserted high way out of district 2. Most people didn’t even know that district 2 was the main exit of Kasaihana.... Outside of it... was a wasteland like desert, and other places it was jungle. The radiation had destroyed earth so much. Ever played fallout? Or uh... fallout 3? Sadly the people made the game never got past Fallout New Vegas. About 5 years ago, this kid that lived in my neighborhood back in district 1 had discovered a charred copy of it in one of the old houses. His dad was on a expedition team, they went down there a lot, and he brought that back to him as a birthday present. After two weeks the kid actually got the data to be readable on one of the new video game counsels of my generation. Haha... and you know what? Its funny how even back then... they were so close to my reality now. I was out, on yet another mission... this time I had Haji in my on a communicate disguised as a gauge on my ear. The bike I was on, was American made I actually hijacked it. Dont even know the name of it. My name is Keyome Tasanagi. I was once the leader of the Kagemaru clan, the chairmen. We were whipped out, by the leader of out so called brother clan..... the Soramaru's... they killed all of us, only ones to make it were me, Yule, and Haji my best friend. I want my clan to be rebuilt badly.... im shaming my fathers name every moment that its not back up. Sadly... Danchou, leader of the Soramaru clan has made me out to be a terrorist... luckily about 55% of Kasaiahana city thinks im dead due to the explosion... and me changing my hair color, and singing my finger prints from my finger and recreating them made it easy to break into the KPD. The lieutenants and recruiters thought I was a agent sent from another country. Fucking idiots... that training rearmament they made up is child’s play of course I got through it within 24 hours. So yes... Ia m now posing as a Detective for the KPD, and im going by the name of Jet. This only to break into the KPD data files and find out where Danchou is hiding, and how I can stop him. He made himself open working with the KPD... I approached the warehouse... the long brown trench coat on my body hung like a cape. I spat on the the ground. Two 45's in both of my hands. I wasn’t doing this to be a hero... I needed to steal from the robbers... and use the money for me and the gangs benefits. I’m playing a double agent... a undercover cop. Working for the yakuza... undercover... ha. I bet you can imagine the fucking stress im going through. “ Yo bossu!” I heard haji say in my ear as I got off the bike, about a football field away from my destination. “ Be-careful, I don’t think these guys wont like a fuckin Yakuza, nor a sleazy pig running up into there spot.” I nodded, my friend was right and I’d have to be careful. “ I ain’t worried about it I know you got my back.” I said placing the cigarette in my mouth. I dashed my way to the warehouse.. 5 guys outside, yet one was alone. The automailed arm I had was doing that thing it does when I was panicking. It kind of revved up like a engine... though know one could hear it. It was like it was reacting to me... like a dog to its owner when there in danger. I rolled and hugged my body against a tree whipping out a clean blade from the holster on my right hip as I held it up to me. I knocked on the tree I was on and the guard said. “ HUH.... WHAT WAS THAT NOISE...” And walked over to me, I crouched down... waiting anticipating.... Once he came around the corner I spun in a 360 motion in front of him. As I was recovering from the spin, I saw him getting ready to fire. I jammed my blade in the barrel of the gun, and the back of it cocked back and exploded in his face. The pieces of the gun ripped his face apart. One by one I took the guards out... swift takedowns, judo flips, I punnched one guy in the nose straight up. about 4 minutes later. I was looking through the window of the establishment. They were moving shit around... yup, this is the place. I opened the window... and creeped inside of the warehouse landing on the ground and rolling into a patch of shadow in the corner of the warehouse.... listening, and waiting. ((Episode in Progress: Return Later)) Category:ARK 1